


The Fury

by ZpanSven



Series: A Ripple in Time [18]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014), The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Gen, Gender or Sex Swap, Genderbending, Rule 63
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-06-09 20:32:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6922357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZpanSven/pseuds/ZpanSven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things are looking up when Harrison’s former protégée, Hartley Rathaway, returns to seek revenge after being affected by the particle accelerator explosion. Now able to manipulate sound waves, the brilliant Rathaway is a dangerous threat to all of Team Flash...</p><p>Note: The first four chapters of 'The Sound' and 'The Fury' will be identical before it diverges off - with 'The Sound' taking a widely different route to lead for Hartley's redemption arc we see hints of in 'Flashback' while 'The Fury' will follow closer to canon/the episode.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first four chapters of 'The Sound' and 'The Fury' will be identical before it diverges off - with 'The Sound' taking a widely different route to lead for Hartley's redemption arc we see hints of in 'Flashback' while 'The Fury' will follow closer to canon/the episode.

Things were going wonderfully, even with the occasional hiccup – she was getting faster, Team Flash was getting better.

Like right now, for instance. They were working together in pursuit of the 'Royal Flush' Gang, a group of elite criminals who had a playing card motif, right down to their code-names. The fact there was multiple targets weaving in and out of traffic on motorcycles made things....interesting.

“Oh, Carrie, there's an intersection coming up,” Caitlin alerted her. “Hurry!”

“This should slow 'em down,” Cisco quipped and faintly she heard his fingers clacking over the keyboard; the traffic lights instantly went from green...to red.

Unfortunately the thieves adapted, separating and she skidded to a halt. All around her car horns blared and she pressed a hand to the comm on her ear. “Guys, which way?”

Simultaneously Caitlin and Cisco spoke:

“Left.”

“Right.”

There was a beat as Carrie groaned. Again they spoke in unison...giving completely different directions. Again.

“Right.”

“Left.”

“Oh for---! Stop! You two are telling me two different things,” she grumbled in exasperation before calling out, pleading in her tone: “Harrison!”

“I'm here,” he reassured her. “Now, Carrie, listen up and listen carefully. Here is what you're going to do--” Confidence replaced her confusion as his voice washed over her. “Now, the Queen is trying to make it to the bridge--” Carrie sped away for the intersection, taking off towards the bridge, even as he continued, “--but I have a shortcut. Wait for it... And left--” she swung a left, keeping going until-- “left--” another left and then-- “--right.”

There she was! Excitement thrummed through Carrie's veins. “I see her!”

“Make her go west before Fremont,” he advised.

She blinked. “Okay, how?”

The smile was just about audible in his voice. “I'd recommend a detour...”

Eyes landing on a group of temporary traffic barricades she felt a grin stretch across her face as an idea struck. In a blur, she pulled the barricades over to block off the street, forcing Queen to detour just as Harrison had suggested. As Queen turned, so did she.

Harrison's voice continued, confident and reassuring in her ear as she sped along. “Now, the King is headed for the entrance to the interstate...”

There was a delivery truck, the back door open and keys still in the ignition – it was easy to move it to block King's intended escape route. There was a hint of smug satisfaction as she purred: “What entrance?”

His chuckle was husky in her ear, sending a thrill down her spine and causing her breathing to hitch. “That's my girl.”

They all ignored Cisco's grumbling about flirting and not defiling his suit, Harrison's eyes on the monitor, tracking as the criminals were being herded by Carrie into an intersection.

“Check...” he drawled.

In a crackle of gold, Carrie swooped in around the three thieves, snatching the keys from the ignitions of the three motorcycles right as several squad cares pulled up. “Got the keys!”

“...mate,” he chuckled.

They turned as Carrie returned to the Cortex, pulling her cowl back – Cisco was bouncing out of his chair and the pair high-fived one another. Giddy with excitement, Carrie did a little spin before plopping down into Harrison's lap.

His lips quirked up in a smile as she grinned at him, her blue eyes sparkling and cheeks tinged pink. “Efficiently done, Carrie.”

“Couldn't have done it without you,” she replied, her hands lifting to frame his face as she leaned in and kissed him, drawing a contented sound from his throat as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Not in my suit!” Cisco complained loudly, only to yelp as Caitlin popped him on the shoulder.

Carrie lifted her head, resting her forehead on Harrison's shoulder with a laugh.

The engineer rubbed his shoulder with a huff before perking up as an idea came to him. “We need a picture.”

Harrison lifted a hand with a 'what?' expression in the direction Cisco bounded off in. He looked over to Carrie and she arched her brows at him and shrugged.

Turning on his lap, she called over to the engineer as he went through his coat pocket. “Pretty sure rule number one of having a secret identity is not taking pictures of yourself in your super suit without a mask on.”

He was unlocking his phone to access the camera app as he approached them. “Oh, come on, please! This is just for us. This is to document all this.”

“Who knows? Maybe people in the future will want to know how all this happened,” Harrison agreed with a reluctant shrug.

Seeing he had consented, Carrie rose from his lap, looking at the trio. “All right, well, if you want the future to have the whole story, then we all need to be in it. We should probably also do a nice, more professional one, with everyone else too. I can bring my camera and tripod from work and develop the pictures myself here in one of the labs...” Warming up to the idea of documenting everything she added: “Maybe we should do some random candids too, you know of us working and being around the lab!”

“Candids? You'd have let me put on some makeup. In fact, I need to put some on now!” Caitlin said in a sudden panic.

Abruptly self-conscious, Carrie nodded in agreement while running her fingers through her hair. “Makeup and a comb. Stupid cowl-hair. I should cut it shorter...”

“The future does not care about your makeup.” Cisco retorted in the direction of the two suddenly preening women. “Or your cowl-hair.”

“Well we do and if you want this picture, you'll just have to deal with it!” Carrie retorted as she tried to get the short bob to look artfully teased instead of a cowl-head mess. “What if they think we're slobs or something?!”

“They won't,” Harrison reassured her as she unzipped her suit jacket enough to reach into the hidden inside pocket for her tinted lip balm.

“Your hair's going to be messy again with you zooming around,” Cisco pointed out as she applied the lip balm.

“Keep it up and I'll strip you for the picture so you're in your boxers,” she huffed back at him as she replaced the lip balm and zipped the jacket back up. She held out a hand and he passed her the phone. “Okay, everyone stand around Harrison...”

After everyone straightened their hair and clothes, she went around the computer console and lifted the phone. “Okay, everyone ready?” At the chorus of agreement, she grinned. “Good. Now big smiles.” the countdown started: “Three...two...one.”

She pressed the button on the touch screen and slipped into speed-time, zipping over to stand behind Harrison, her hands resting on his shoulder and she leaned forward as the phone's flash went up. Confident the picture took, she raced back over to catch the phone. “Ha!”

Caitlin looked at Carrie, her head tilting in curiosity. “Does that count as a selfie?”

“Absolutely!” she replied, passing Cisco his phone.

“Sick!” Cisco chuckled as he checked the picture while walking away with Caitlin. “It came out good.”

“Thanks again for talking me through things out there,” Carrie said as she moved to Harrison's side. “I was getting frustrated.”

“My pleasure,” he chucked as she returned to her place on his lap; his arms encircled her waist possessively. “You know I can't just leave you all...frustrated.”

Laughing at the innuendo, she leaned in, kissing him, her gloved fingers lacing into his hair. After they parted for air, she snuggled into his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. His fingers gently stroked down her back.

“You did great out there,” he said softly and grinned faintly. “I have to say it was a bit of a rush feeling like a--”

“A hero?” she interjected with a smile, shifting slightly to press a kiss to his jaw.

“Yeah.”

“You're pretty good at it,” she told him. “I can't really do this without you.”

His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb beneath her chin and he leaned in, kissing her deeply. A soft sound escaped her as she shifted on his lap, her hands gripping his hair.

As his hand was sliding down from her cheek to reach for the zipper though---

“Stop defiling my suit!” Cisco howled from the next room. “We can see you, you know! And don't think I won't spray the whole place down with Holy Water, I know a priest!”

Harrison's head dropped down to her shoulder as he muttered. “I guess we should consider this practice for the future when we have kids?”

She laughed in a mixture of amusement and embarrassment into the crook of his neck.


	2. Chapter 2

The smell of Joe's cooking, the sounds of him moving around was familiar and reassuring. It was almost nostalgic as she sorted her laundry.

She really needed to find a better laundry solution though; she couldn't just keep mooching off Joe, because he'd never see her as independent and grown---

The front door opened and she could hear Iris calling out a greeting. Carrie's shoulders trembled as she muffled a giggle. Oh who was she kidding, they were his daughters and would look for reasons to pop back into their childhood home.

Iris poked into the laundry room for a quick hug that Carrie returned with a cheeky grin. “You do realize the whole point of moving out is not being at home anymore, right?”

“Hahaha,” Iris laughed mockingly as she rolled her eyes. “Funny from the girl doing her laundry here. I forgot a few things.”

“Baby girl! That you?” Joe called from the kitchen.

“Hey Dad!” Iris called back. “Just forgot a few things and stopping to see if any mail came in for me.”

They exited the laundry room just as Joe was bringing out a casserole dish. He lifted it proudly. “I made spaghetti a la me. You sure you don't want to stay for dinner?”

Iris laughed and shook her head. “Thanks, but Eddie is painting all day and I swore that I would help.  
Although, I'm really just going to do that thing where I get a little paint on my hair and on my nose.”

Joe laughed and shook his head as he set the casserole dish on the warmer on the dinner table. “I didn't see any mail, but someone from Central City Picture News called you the other day I left the number on the fridge.”

“What?!” Iris's squeal reached a pitch that had both Joe and Carrie wincing. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“Chill! Just did!” He retorted, as he poured a glass of wine.

As Iris darted into the kitchen, Carrie leaned forward, her arms resting on the back of one of the dinin room chairs as Joe glanced to her. “Hey, I heard that some members of the Royal Flush Gang are headed to prison.”

A glow of satisfaction bloomed in her belly and as Carrie opened her mouth to brag about Harrison's help, Iris screamed from the kitchen.

Exchanging concerned glances, Joe called out: “Is that a good scream or a bad scream?”

“Good!” Iris reappeared in the kitchen doorway, a grin threatening to split her face; she was all but glowing in excitement. “So good! I just got offered a job as a reporter at Central City Picture News.”

Carrie squealed in glee. “That's awesome!”

“The editor's a fan of my blog!”

“That is amazing!”

“Oh, my God!”

Joe watched his daughters hugging and squealing, babbling in excitement and sipped his wine muttering: “Oh, God.”


	3. Chapter 3

As she was getting ready to head over to Harrison's her phone rang. It was his ringtone and she smiled as she answered. "I was about to head out, need something from the store? Some Big Belly Burgers?"

"Actually, you probably shouldn't come over," he sighed in her ear.

"Are you feeling alright?" Her concern was immediate - should she call Caitlin?

"I'm fine, but my windows aren't. Some one pulled a prank and now there's glass everywhere."

"What?!"

\----

He looked both embarrassed and peeved as she all but dragged Joe into his home. At the sight of the sheer amount of damage, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Oh my God..."

Harrison glanced at Joe in frustration and annoyance. "Joe, I apologize for all of this. Carrie really shouldn't have bothered you. It just it really feels like a case of so much for so little..."

"Little?! Harrison, this isn't some kids throwing rocks through your windows,” she fussed, staring at the sheer amount of damage. She had been fully expecting to sweep up a little glass while Joe documented everything but this---

“I agree,” Joe said. “This feels like more than just a prank, Doctor. I'm going to call this in, get a crew out here to process this.”

“Joe, no, you don't have to...”

“I'm going to.” Joe replied firmly. “Now...do you have any ideas who might have done this?”

“Well, there are those who feel I did not suffer enough for the particle accelerator explosion of last year, and some of them act on it. I did receive a call before all this happened--”

“Dr. Wells!” Caitlin called out as she and Cisco stepped into the open entryway; Harrison gave Carrie an exasperated look. “Dr. Wells, are you okay? “

“Dr. Snow, I'm fine,” he sighed. “A little chilly. Otherwise, I'm fine. Carrie shouldn't have called you...”

“You said your windows were broken so I was going to have Joe and Cisco board it up while I cleaned up and Caitlin could take you to a hotel if you wanted to go to one...” she told him with a sheepish shrug.

He smiled faintly, reaching out to take her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. “Always trying to help everyone. You are a wonderful woman, Carrie Allen...”

She blushed hotly and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. “I try.”

As she lifted her head, Harrison saw Cisco gaping at his surroundings. “Hello, Cisco. Make yourselves at home as best you can. I'm gonna make a hotel reservation while Joe's friends come out to do their job...”

“Oh this place is so sick...” Cisco breathed with a soft laugh after Harrison rolled away.

“What took you to so long?” Carrie asked them in confusion as Joe stepped away to call Eddie..

“We got lost,” he replied in embarrassment.

“There were so many back roads...” Caitlin agreed.

\--------

It didn't take long for Eddie and a CSI team to get there – but it was more than long enough for Carrie to zip around doing a quick and careful inspection of her own. She watched her co-workers as they worked, her hands on Harrison's shoulders reassuringly...though she wasn't sure who she was trying to reassure more – him or herself.

She watched as Eddie approached; he shook his head as he updated them. “I canvassed the street. No other reports of vandalism. No strange cars.”

“Hmm...” Joe hummed thoughtfully to himself and glanced to Harrison. “You're lucky you weren't hurt.”

“If I hadn't stopped to answer my phone by the panel of my security system, I would have been,” he replied.

“Another foot in and you'd have been right under the falling glass,” Carrie's hand tightened on his shoulders in worry before taking a breath and lowering her voice. “In my run through, I saw there was no point of impact. No rock or bat or any solid object went through your windows. It's as if they just shattered themselves...”

“Still think this is some teenage prank?” Joe asked, arching a brow at Harrison.

He sighed heavily, shaking his head. “No, it wasn't. I knew it wasn't when I answered that call.”

“But you don't want our help. Why?”

“Because I already know who did this,” Harrison replied. “Hartley Rathaway.”

“Who is Hartley Rathaway?” Carrie asked in confusion.

“Hartley Rathaway is the prodigal son,” he explained, reaching up with a hand to squeeze her hand reassuringly. “And he has returned. Lets head back to STAR Labs, where I can pull up his old personnel file...”

“He worked for you?” Eddie asked.

“Yes.”

\----  
Team Flash was assembled in the Cortex and Carrie studied the photo of the personnel file displayed on the massive monitors. He was attractive but looked very serious and almost unfriendly in the set of his mouth.

“This is Hartley. He possesses one of the finest scientific minds I've ever encountered,” Harrison explained.

“Any ties to Rathaway Industries?” Joe asked.

“Yes. His grandfather founded the company, his father expanded it, and Hartley was set to inherit the throne.”

“What happened?” Eddie inquired.

Caitlin grimaced faintly. “He came out to his parents. Old money, old values.”

“They were estranged when we met. He was quite brilliant and I couldn't have built the particle accelerator without him.”

“You've never even mentioned his name,” Carrie said in confusion, looking between the three.

“That's because Hartley had a challenging personality,” Caitlin explained diplomatically.

Which caused Cisco to roll his eyes. “What she means is he was mostly a jerk. But, every once in a while, he could be a dick.”

Joe couldn't help it, the way Cisco said it caused him to chuckle; Carrie felt her lips quirking up and could see Eddie trying to hide his momentary grin.

“Let's just say that Hartley, like many outliers, had trouble relating to his peers.” Harrison sighed.

“Yes, but he was always your favorite,” Caitlin grumbled, almost sulkily.

“The chosen one.” Cisco added with a glower at the monitor. At the glance from Harrison and slight 'tsk' from the back of his throat, Cisco explained: “He referred to himself like that.”

“So if you two were so close, why would he target you?” Joe asked.

“Hartley left STAR Labs about a year ago after we had a...a disagreement.”

“About what?” Joe asked.

At the momentary expression of embarrassment and discomfort that crossed Harrison's face, Carrie stepped forward, taking his hand. “Look, don't worry. We'll stop him. I won't let him hurt you - any of you. Since I'm not technically allowed to help on the case, I'll borrow one of the labs here if that's alright.”

“My lab is your lab, Carrie,” Harrison replied, giving a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “Whatever you need is yours.”

As she smiled at him, she could hear Cisco mutter to Caitlin: “I could've gone my whole life without seeing that jerk again...”


	4. Chapter 4

This little lab was becoming hers the more she stayed at STAR Labs. And it was so much nicer than what she had back at the CCPD.

Joe had come in and watched her bustle around the lab, the tails of the lab coat she wore trailing behind her; she seemed to be glowing, he realized as he watched his foster daughter. Her face was one of concentration but she seemed to radiate determination. Spotting him, she grinned sheepishly.

“Its a lot nicer than my lab back at the precinct...” she told him. “Harrison mentioned he'd like to upgrade the entire Forensic lab with the left over equipment from here, as a donation. Think Captain Singh would be alright with it?”

“He should be – he's been muttering about needing more room in the budget to upgrade the labs,” Joe admitted before nodding to the wine glass, which was anchored in place in front of some device he wasn't quite familiar with. “What's this for?”

“A demonstration,” she replied, picking up a fork. “Now everything has a natural frequency--” she gently tapped the side of the wine glass with the tines of the fork, producing a musical ting. Setting the fork down, she picked up a pair of safety glasses, passing it to him. She retrieved a pair from her lab coat pocket and slipping them before ushering him back over to a control console hooked up to the device by the wine glass. “And since sound is expressed as a vibration, if the pitch of the sound matches the natural vibration frequency of an object, then---”

She turned the dial and there was a high pitched frequency a second before the wine glass exploded. Laughter escaped them both; for a moment it was like when she was a young girl again with her experiments. This was far less messy than her volcano in the kitchen though.

Their chuckles died down as Joe removed his safety glasses.

“So, you're saying that can happen to anything, Not just glass?”

“Of course!” She agreed with a nod, removing her safety glasses, folding them and dropping them back in the pocket of her lab coat. “I think that's absolutely what happened to the windows at Harrison's. This Rathaway guy is using some kind of sonic technology.”

“I'm getting this feeling that Dr Wells is hiding something about what's going on with this Rathaway character,” Joe admitted wile absently reaching out to poke at the concole.

She brushed his hand away from the console, murmuring and absent, “Don't touch that.” He glanced at her and she sighed. “I mean, it sounds like this Hartley guy was a pill before he went all super villain, so I get why he never mentioned him...”

And that uncomfortable look on Harrison's face...she didn't want to pry before he was ready but---

“Like he never mentions his girlfriend that got killed,” Joe added and she frowned at him.

“Tess Morgan,” she corrected; what was he getting at? “No, he doesn't really mention her much; its a pretty painful part of his past. How do you know about her?”

“He's taking up a big part of our lives, becoming part of our world. Since you two are dating and all, I wanted to know more about him.”

“If you want to know more about him, you could just ask me,” she replied with a faint frown.

“Sounds like you don't know him as well as you think.”

She bristled. “The things you ask about are sensitive, painful topics. He doesn't talk much about Tess just like you don't talk much about---”

Cisco's voice from the overhead cut into the conversation: “Carrie! Joe! There's multiple 911 calls - Rathaway Industries is under attack. Eddie says that sector cars are en route.”

“On my way!” Carrie replied, speeding out of the lab to retrieve her suit from the Cortex.

\-----------

The figure of Hartley Rathaway was cloaked in a hooded coat and sonic blasts were emanating from his gauntlets; multiple windows where shattered and police cars disabled. She mentally cringed, hearing Captain Singh screaming about the budget already.

She came a halt by slamming her shoulder between his shoulder blades, sending him flying forward. He hit the ground and rolled over onto his back to stare at the scarlet-clad form of the Flash.

She spoke in her modulated voice: “It's over, Rathaway.”

“You know my name,” he didn't seem that surprised; his face was split with an increasingly arrogant smirk. “I know some names too. Caitlin Snow. Cisco Ramon. Harrison Wells. I can hear the radio waves emanating from your suit.” He rose to his feet. "About 1900 megahertz. Is that them on the other end, listening? Are they gonna hear you die?"

“No,” she drawled, watching him shifting his weight as he was preparing to attack. “They're going to hear you get your ass kicked.”

“Okay.” his smirk was suddenly viscous, flinging his hands out; time slowed as she slipped into speed-time.

The sonic blasts clipped her as she dodged to the side, sending her to the ground as the Rathaway Industries sign that had been behind her shattered into a pile of industrial glass. In a crackle of gold lightning she was on her feet, speeding around the courtyard entrance, swiping the batons from the holsters of the policemen containing the scene and flinging them at Hartley with precise aim – not enough force to kill him or break bones, but enough to leave some nasty bruises.

As he was preparing to lash out once more, she darted forward, her hands on his wrists and stripping him of his gauntlets. Spinning him around, she cuffed his hands behind his back with a pair of handcuffs she'd snagged from one of the uniforms.

“Looks like you're not as smart as everyone says,” she said behind him.

“Smart enough to have figured out who Harrison Wells really is,” he retorted smugly, looking over his shoulder at her. “You see, I know his secret.”

\---what secret? She thought with an uneasy frown. All people had secrets but the way he said that....


	5. Chapter 5

Uncertain of just what the secret he claimed to know about Harrison, she had scooped Hartley up and carted him back to STAR Labs at super-speeds. Stepping back from him after setting him down, Carrie used the moment as Hartley reoriented himself to place a pair of suppressant cuffs on his wrists. He blinked rapidly behind his glasses, his brain processing suddenly being in the elevator leading down into the vast depths of STAR Labs instead of the courtyard outside Rathaway Industries.

When the doors opened and she escorted him from the elevator, his eyes focused on the pair outside the elevator.

“Well, well, well, the gang's all here,” he said haughtily, chin tilted up as he looked down his nose at them; both Cisco and Caitlin stood with their arms crossed over their chests. “You've lasted a lot longer than I would've thought, Cisco.”

The engineer bristled, his eyes narrowing. “And you didn't last ten seconds against the Flash, Hartley.”

“I was thinking of calling myself Pied Piper.”

“Hey! I assign the nicknames around here,” Cisco huffed before admitting begrudgingly with a petulant pout. “Although that one's not bad.”

“Caitlin,” Hartley greeted the doctor, his eyes glinting maliciously behind his glasses as she arched her brows in acknowledgment; there was something in his tone that had the doctor wary and set Carrie's teeth on edge. “Never did get that wedding invite.”

Bristling as Caitlin's shoulders twitched, her face shuttering, Cisco barreled forward as Carrie's hand lashed out, shoving Hartley by the shoulder towards Cisco as she growled: “Shut the hell up!”

Grabbing Hartley by the arm, Cisco hauled him away from the speedster and doctor, shoving him into the corridor leading to the Pipeline. “Stay in front of me.”

Caitlin glanced to Carrie as the speedster touched her elbow in concern. Her voice was soft, “I'm alright.”

“Say the word and I'll give him a case of motion sickness he'll never forget,” she offered, causing her friend to laugh softly before she trailed behind Cisco. In a crackle of gold, Carrie was back in the Cortex in her bluejeans and sweatshirt, watching over the monitors.

Once Hartley was secured, Caitlin glanced over to see that Cisco was frowning at the display as Hartley was being scanned for weapons. The engineer's eyes zeroed in on Hartley and over the monitor, Carrie could see the tension in Cisco's shoulders. She straightened, wondering if she should have just stayed with them, ready to dart over, put her suit back on and go down there to kick Hartley Rathaway around again. 

“The scanner is detecting foreign metallic objects in your ears. Take 'em out,” he ordered.

“I can't!” Hartley snapped, bristling in the cell, his arms crossed defensively. “I suffered head trauma when STAR Labs exploded. My hearing was severely damaged. Without these—” he pointed to his ears, to the devices within, “--I'm in pain you can't imagine.” His eyes slid over to Caitlin. “We all lost something that night.”

Cisco bristled as Caitlin's lips pressed into a tight line even as Hartley was glancing around the confinement cell.

“Very clever re-purposing the anti-proton cavities into confinement cells,” Hartley said, his voice drifting over the speakers. “Wells' idea, I'm sure.”

“It was mine, actually,” Cisco retorted as his back straightened in pride.

While she couldn't see the subtle nuances of his facial expressions – or even really understand him that well since he switched to fluent Spanish – Carrie tensed as he taunted Cisco yet again. There was a vindictive satisfaction in Cisco's voice as he replied and Carrie figured she'd have to ask for a play-by-play of their conversation later.

“Hartley, don't make this more difficult than it has to be,” Caitlin snapped as she stepped forward. Carrie recognized that tone, the controlled annoyance while still trying to play the peacemaker, figured the other was on the receiving end of a disapproving glare, complete with her brows drawn together, lips pressed into a line and down turned at the corners. 

Hartley switched languages as he spoke to Caitlin now – French it sounded like. With how focused on Caitlin he was, he didn't notice Harrison roll up in his chair until he snapped out:

“Enough, Hartley!”

A shiver went down Carrie's spine. Oh he was not happy. Not that she could blame him, Hartley was picking at the barely healed wounds of the two employees that had stood by him despite everything.

He took a breath as Caitlin and Cisco turned to look at him. With a soft exhalation, he looked up at them.

“Give us a minute.”

Exchanging a glance with each other, Cisco and Caitlin reluctantly left Harrison's side, if only because of the reassurance of the fact Hartley was securely tucked away in the cell.

“See you soon, Cisco,” Hartley calle dout at the retreating pair's backs.

“Doubt it!” 

As they left, Carrie watched Hartley like a hawk in the off chance he tried something. The prisoner opened his mouth and spoke in yet another foreign language. His tone was accusatory and hostile; Harrison shrugged, his hand spreading as he replied in the same language.

“God, I wish I'd taken a language in high school,” Carrie muttered with a sulky pout.

“How did you know we were working with The Flash?” 

“I wrote a hexagonal algorithm tracking all of the sightings, extrapolating a theoretical exit trajectory.  
In other words, every time the Flash ran from the scene of a crime, he – sorry, she – ran in this general direction,” while his tone was matter-of-fact, there was a certain smugness to it.

Harrison gave a soft little breath of admiration as he shook his head. “You are brilliant.” He paused, taking in a breath, adding, “And any anguish you have been through because of me was never my intent.”

Hartley was quiet for a long moment and while she couldn't see his expression, she could see that his shoulders and back were tense. His voice was tight as he finally spoke. “Not bad as far as heartfelt apologies go. Except that wasn't for my benefit.” He shifted, looking up into the observational camera monitoring him in his cell. “That was for you, Flash. Feels good to have the great Harrison Wells behind you, doesn't it? But one day, this man will turn on you--” and here he laughed, bitter and mocking, “--in a flash and even you won't see it coming. I only hope that he leaves you in better shape than he left me.” His eyes dropped back to glare at Harrison through the cell door. “If you're lucky, you'll only be dead. Because every day I have to live with the agonizing, piercing screaming in my ears.”

As Caitlin and Cisco joined her in the Cortex by the monitor, Harrison's head dropped slightly, shaking before he turned his chair away, about to leave Hartley alone in his cell. Seeing that he was leaving, Hartley laughed and called out mockingly to his back.

“Heh. I almost forgot! I told your pet I know your deep, dark secret, Harrison.” And Harrison stopped abruptly as Hartley taunted him. “Have fun letting her in on that one.”

In the Cortex, Carrie glanced at an equally confused Caitlin and Cisco. Unease was palatable in the air in the long moments it took for Harrison to join them. He paused near the door and looked between them, his eyes lingering on Carrie's the longest. Taking in a breath he finally spoke.

“I assume you were all listening...”

“Obviously,” Carrie retorted, her head tilting in the direction of the monitor, still on the camera feed into Hartley's cell.

Sighing, he leaned forward in his chair, bracing on an elbow as he continued. “Well, Hartley was telling the truth. I have not been honest with you. With...any of you.”

There wa s along moment of silence as Harrison's hand lifted, those longtapered fingers linking behind the back of his head as his eyes moved between the three of them before he closed his eyes and let out a little harsh breath through his nose. His hands moved back from behind his head though still linked – he gestured with his thumbs in a direction--- “The accelerator.”

Carrie could sense more than saw Caitlin and Cisco exchanging sharp glances; the speedster's eyes never left Harrison's, her hands gripping into the sleeves of her sweatshirt. There was a dryness to her mouth and she felt a slight tremble in her limbs – the flight or fight reflex, so heightened in her now. She wasn't going to like this. Every instinct was screaming at her.

“Hartley warned me that there was indeed a chance that the accelerator could explode.”

And for a moment it was like she had been struck in the solar-plexus, her breath robbed of her. Faintly she was aware of Cisco's sharply drawn breath even as Harrison continued. 

“His data did not show just that there was one hundred percent certainty, just that there was a risk...but it was a real risk.”

Caitlin's eyes were closed in pain, disbelief and Carrie was reaching out, gripping her hand, knowing that the doctor's mind was on Ronnie, on how he had died--- Cicso was close to hyperventailating, his breathing tight and harsh.

“And yet I made the decision that the reward...” 

And Carrie could feel Caitlin's hand tighten around hers as her eyes flew open, looking at their boss, their mentor, whom they had stood by despite it all, as he continued. The tension and pain in the air was so thick, it seemed to coil around them all, choking them---

“...that everything we could learn and everything we could achieve, that all--” his voice had risen as he spoke and he paused, taking in a ragged breath. “....that all of that simply outweighed that risk.”

His throat worked as he swallowed hard,his voice raw. “I'm sorry.”

Caitlin was shifting, standing and held onto Carrie's hand as she spoke, her voice tight with pain. “Then the next time you choose to put our lives, and the lives of the people that we love, at risk, I'll expect a heads up.”

She stepped away, pulling her hand free of Carrie's as she hurried from the Cortex. Harrison's eyes went to Cisco, who wordlessly exited in a different direction. With them alone, his eyes met Carrie's.

“Carrie...I...”

Taking a breath, she forced herself to stand, approaching him as she looked down at him. Her throat felt raw, and it reflected in her voice as she spoke. “After the explosion, when everyone else left you Caitlin and Cisco stood by you. Believed in you, rallied behind you and STAR Labs. Harrison.... You owe them so more than just an apology...”

He smiled tightly without humor. “They might soon get more than that what with Hartley so intent on sending me to the next world.”

She blinked, taken aback. “What---?” She gave an annoyed huff as she shook her head, leaning in to be level with him as she shoved at his shoulders in annoyance; he caught her hands before she pulled them back, holding them tightly in his. “Dammit, Harrison! You know them better than that---that wouldn't make it right with them. You broke their trust.”

Taking in a shaky breath, Carrie could feel the burn of tears in her eyes, in the back of her throat as she added. “Our trust.”

He pulled her forward then, into his lap and wrapping his arms around her, holding her there. She could have broken free with her speed, but her hands, which landed on his shoulders, curled into the black fabric of his sweater instead as she cried into the crook of his neck. Strong hands rubbed up and down her back, his voice a murmur in her ears.

“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I will make this right....”


End file.
